Wii stuff goes here

[A Black Falcon]

I imagine that the VC will allow for custom button configurations, like every single emulator in existence does. So, you map the yellow N64 buttons to the right analog stick and the Z trigger to one of the inner shoulder buttons or even one of the extra face buttons and you're good to go.

You actually belive that that would be a competent alternative to a real N64 control scheme? Sorry, but no way. For all the reasons I mentioned above, it completely fails to be a serious N64-replacement pad.

What one controller would work for four generations of videogame? Nes controller? Not even close. SNES controller? Not even close. N64 contoller? Works great for N64 games, but not so well for games that use the Dpad. Gamecube controller? Up until the point where the realize how ackward the button configuration would be for non-GC games. So instead they give us a redesigned controller with a very normal layout.

Actually, the N64 controller would be fantastic. The N64 has a great d-pad. As I'm sure I've said before, the N64 is the last console which was truly designed with a controller for both 2d and 3d games... every major console since has just had 2d as an afterthought, but with the N64 both the 2d and 3d aspects are fully realized -- the left/right dpad (full sized, SNES-style D-Pad! The last videogame console to truly have a great dpad!)/shoulder buttons/6 face buttons layout for 2d, and the center/right analog stick/trigger/etc layout for 3d. That it is true that only a few games on the N64 that are better played with the D-Pad are few and far between doesn't mean that the controller wouldn't be a fantastic 2d game controller, and it would.

A slightly modified N64 controller with larger C buttons (so that they can double as A/B/X/Y buttons too) would be ideal. Or if you want it to be dual-analog, then look at something like my Saitek p880 -- six face buttons, dual joysticks in the PS2 position, full-sized d-pad, and large shoulder buttons. That would work. Not as well as a real N64 controller (though for NES/SNES it's just as good), but close enough that the difference doesn't matter much... particularly since it'd have Nintendo-quality analog sticks and not the poor ones of the p880. :)

Gamecube controller? Up until the point where the realize how ackward the button configuration would be for non-GC games.

Actually, this is just a function of time -- getting used to it. My best example is Capcom vs SNK 2: EO. I'm better at this game on GC than I am on PS2 (on a gamepad; if we're talking arcade sticks things are different)-- by a sizable margin. Why? Because I'm used to the game on the GC controller, "odd" button layout and all... so no, you can adapt any four button game to the GC controller and have it work well. That's really not a problem.

Now, would I have wanted to see them keep the GC layout? No, because it's only got four buttons. Keep those button shapes and positions and add back in the left and right hand buttons of the top row, though, and I think you'd have a very, very nice gamepad...

I imagine that the VC will allow for custom button configurations, like every single emulator in existence does. So, you map the yellow N64 buttons to the right analog stick and the Z trigger to one of the inner shoulder buttons or even one of the extra face buttons and you're good to go.

I don't think I should have to say anything to make it completely obvious that for numerous games that quite simply would not work.

There's a simple solution in my opinion. Take the controller above, which is a good start. Add handles. For example, GCN controller handles. Next, change it from 4 buttons on the face to six, a standard layout. Change the shoulder buttons from that horrid layout to something like the Xbox 360 controller layout. The back ones will be the triggers, and the front ones will be standard shoulder buttons.

You essentially agree with me, then, because that's basically the same list of changes I want... :)

The only issue to resolve is button names

That is an issue...

N64 has
B < ^
A v >

for its face button layout while SNES has
Y X
B A

and those two are not easily reconciled, as each button's name has changed... but ABC/XYZ like the Genesis (or the Saturn or Microsoft Sidewinder Gamepad) would be a solution. Though not perfect... this does have to have some coorelation with the normal controller (freehand/nunchuck). Knowing that, I'd recommend making those two buttons Z1 and Z2... so
Y X Z2
B A Z1

Which is actually kind of like the p880's layout (but with 1 2 and 3 4 switched):
1 2 6
3 4 5

I think that would work (with N64 button colorings... as for button size, that's debatable. I'm not sure, actually... but 'all six full size' would probably be best. That or the N64 layout, but with the C buttons larger so that they'd work better for SNES stuff (but still smaller than A and B)...). And add handles so you can expand the shoulder buttons into large shoulder buttons or triggers, that would be much nicer.

Anyway, they need to do something, but can't keep this... OoT was painful enough as it is on the GC controller and that has shoulder buttons that one can pretend are partway to being triggers! This thing is even worse, and thus it'd be even more painful to play N64 games on this thing than it already is on the Cube... that's not good, if they're trying to sell the VC for N64 as well as NES and SNES...

Oh yes, and what about Genesis? Would games that used the six-button pad have the last two functions relegated to the shoulder buttons? Awful! (anyone who has played SFII or any other six button fighting game on a Genesis, Saturn, N64, or arcade stick, and then played it on any of the numerous four-face-button consoles would know how badly such games need six face buttons...)

This would also preclude Saturn support without special controllers because of a lack of buttons, obviously.

Genesis/Saturn/Sidewinder Gamepad of course used
X Y Z
A B C

but that's easy enough to adapt to any six button layout.